1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to self-contained emergency eyewash stations and more particularly to an improved cartridge assembly containing a “sterile” eyewash fluid for such stations.
2. Background of the Related Art
Government and employers are increasingly aware of the need for protecting the health and safety of workers. For this reason, it is common to find eye wash fountains at industrial work sites, laboratories, and other locations where workers are exposed to gaseous fumes, liquids or solid materials which can irritate or injure eyes upon contact therewith. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has made eye wash fountains mandatory for particular industrial work stations.
Early installations of eye wash fountains employed sprays of regular tap water fed from regular plant plumbing connections. These devices were adequate for a period of time, but suffered from the drawbacks of using the regular water supply. For example, there could be contaminants and bacteria in regular plumbed water. Furthermore, the pressure of regular running water is inconsistent creating an uneven water flow, or in the event of a major facility accident, the water may not be running at all.
Later devices, such as the eye wash fountains disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,798 to Liautaud and U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,146 to Liautaud, were self-contained, gravity-fed, and independent of any plumbing connections. These self-contained eye wash fountains typically included a reservoir (or bottle)s of wash fluid spaced above two opposed liquid spray nozzles. Upon activating the fluid flow, the wash fluid from the reservoir is fed solely by gravity to the nozzles to cause a gravity-induced spray of wash fluid from the nozzles. These stations provided improved safety in terms of the quality of the water utilized but suffered from low and/or inconsistent water pressure to properly flush the eyes.
In an effort to encourage more suitable eye wash facilities, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) promulgated voluntary standards for portable eye wash fountains relating to flushing periods and the rate of flow of wash fluid. These standards dictate that portable eye wash fountains should deliver no less than 0.4 gallons per minute (1.5 liters per minute) of eye wash fluid for a time period of 15 minutes. Responsive to the new ANSI standard, several designs emerged that included means for maintaining a constant eye wash flow rate without any powered pumping mechanisms. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,406, U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,124 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,641 all issued to Demeny et al, disclose an emergency eyewash station having a gravity assist mechanism that acts on a flexible reservoir contained in a disposable paperboard box. The self-contained emergency eye wash station generally comprises a housing, a reservoir, and a platen. The housing includes a shelf that supports a pair of flexible containers arranged in side-by-side relation. The flexible containers are of the type generally referred to as “bag-in-a-box” packaging, having an inner flexible plastic bag containing the eyewash fluid, and an outer cardboard box structure, which supports the flexible bag in a predetermined shape. The housing further supports a delivery platform including a nozzle, which is in fluid communication with the flexible container. The nozzle selectively dispenses the eye wash fluid from the flexible container when activated. The housing further includes a drain that captures the eye wash fluid dispensed from the nozzle and directs the eye wash fluid into the reservoir. The reservoir is slidably mounted to the housing and the platen is connected to the reservoir. As the reservoir fills, the platen presses downward on the flexible container with a downward force proportional to a weight of the eye wash fluid collected in the reservoir. The transfer of the weight of the eye wash fluid collected in the reservoir to the platen maintains a constant flow of eye wash fluid dispensed from the nozzle.
The above-noted gravity assist configuration has been very successful in the marketplace and is still in widespread use today. Because the 6 gallons of fluid is divided into two smaller containers, the flexible reservoirs are relatively small and easily replaced by service personnel. In addition, the bag-in-a-box packaging technology is well established, and the costs for producing, maintaining and replacing the disposable cartridges at established intervals of time have heretofore been relatively inexpensive. The costs for this type of system are such that the manufacturer could cost effectively provide a pre-assembled delivery tube and nozzle assembly with each of the disposable cartridges, making installation and replacement that much easier.
However, new ANSI and OSHA regulations have created new issues that will need to be addressed, and will require improvements to the existing designs to maintain compliance. In particular, upcoming OSHA regulations will soon require the use of “sterile” eye wash fluids. The regulatory and production requirements for “sterile” eyewash fluids are far greater than the previous “non-sterile” standards and will make the production of the existing cartridges cost prohibitive.
Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for an improved cartridge assembly which can be filled with a sterile fluid, maintained in a sterile condition for the required shelf-life of the product, provide for safe shipment, handling and storage of the product, and provide for simple installation and replacement, and finally provide a reliable dispensing arrangement for emergency use.